VJ: Flash Forward
by Buzzthebatgirl
Summary: They say time flows differently in Movieland, but no one was expecting so much time to have past since Joe's last visit... A story based on the Viewtiful Joe anime
1. Chapter 1

"Come on Silvia - I've not seen Junior in weeks and he's always asking to see you!" whines Joe

Silvia sighs "Joe, he still doesn't like me"

"He's just jealous cos he's gotta share me with ma' main squeeze-" Joe grins as he pulls Silvia close.

She giggles and smiles back at him.

"-but if you get to really know him you'll really like him. He's like that little brother you've never had"

"Alright, just this once and only for a few days okay?"

Joe hugs Silvia tightly "He's going to be so excited! I'll get in touch with Junior, get my Old Man to sort out the Film and we'll head off!"

Silvia groans, but someone has to keep an eye on Joe as he's well known for overstaying in Movieland and forgetting to return to the real world.

* * *

It's late in the evening and the dusk is beginning to settle into Blue Town. The dry Wild Western town is eerily quite as Joe and Silvia warp in from the real world.

"This place hasn't changed a bit", remarks Silvia as she takes in the scenery, "it's just like the last time we were here."

"Something's not right..." Joe mutters, "...where's Junior? He knows I'm coming, he's always here by the fountain"

They walk solemnly down the dirt path towards the Captain Blue Fountain. Joe still scanning the village buildings for any sign of life.

Arriving at the fountain Joe puts his hand to his forehead and looks around. Not that he can see much in the duskiness, but that never stopped Joe trying.

"Where is Junior? This isn't like him at all..."

"Maybe he's asleep? It is dark…" replies Silvia

"But the whole town to be this quite?"

It's only now does Silvia notice there are no lights on in any of the store windows and houses.

Joe cups his hands around his mouth and yells "YO JUNIOR WHERE ARE YOOOOU?!"

His words echo around the empty street.

Joe sighs, "maybe he's playin' a prank with the whole town?"

"NOT FUNNY DUDE" he yells.

They both pause for a moment and hear nothing but their own breathing and the wind echoing around them.

"Where is he? This isn't like him…" Joe's voice is filled with sadness

Silvia puts her hand on Joe's shoulder, "we'll find him, don't give up Joe"

"Joe? Is that…?" A quite voice breaks the silence.

Joe and Silvia turn to see a dull golden coloured woman emerging from a dark side alley.

"Rachel!" They both exclaim and rush over to great her.

"Do my cameras deceive me? Is it really you two?"

Joe rubs her metallic head and she holds his arm, if her eyes were capable of tears she would be crying.

"Joe..and Silvia…" Rachel reaches out and touches Silvia's face, "it's been so long…"

Joe notices that Rachel's body isn't a shiny as it once was. Her armour plating is dented in places, her limbs have odd coloured metal repair patches and her body parts are not all the same colour.

"Rachel, where's Junior?" asks Silvia

"He's not been called that in a while…" she responds

Joe and Silvia both share the same puzzled look.

"He should still be at his workshop, come Dear Friends", she continues motioning for Joe and Silvia to follow.

As Rachel walks Silvia notices she now walks with a slight limp.

* * *

The workshop is a converted downstairs area in Junior's home. It's stock full of tools, weapons, books, mugs and scattered notebooks. Every surface has a combination of books, magazines, notebooks, dirty mugs, plates, cutlery or all of the above. It's clear the owner is interested in many things but cleaning and organisation isn't one of them. A young man sits working away at the table facing the wall.

It doesn't take Joe very long to pick out that distinctive hair style and he exclaims "YO JUNIOR!"

The figure doesn't respond and continues to work.

Rachel tries to say something but Joe rushes off, eager to great his friend.

"Yo, what's up with you ignorin' me like that?"

Joe gets more frustrated as Junior doesn't respond to him.

"YO JUNIOR!" Joe yells as he pokes Junior in the back

The young man yelps, drops his screwdriver and quickly turns around, facing Joe

"J-J-Joe?" He asks, utterly bemused by the person standing in front of him.

Junior has aged a lot, his face is even a shock even to Joe. Junior is now in his mid 20s, with a sloppily kept goatee and a scar running across the side of his face leading into his right ear.

"Junior w-w-what happened? Y-you...scar!" Joe exclaims

"Joe wait", Junior motions for Joe to stop and presses something in his left ear.

"He's deaf Joe", Rachel explains

Joe confusedly points at Junior and then back to Rachel, "but how, he?"

"What did you say earlier Joe? I didn't catch that your mouth moved too fast"

"You, old, scar, deaf...? When did all that happen?" Joe has too many questions and just can't comprehend it all.

"Old? Hahaha-" Junior laughs as he stands up his full height now evident, "-Joe it's been over twelve years since you were last here"

Silvia is stunned so much time has past but Joe is still Joe and focuses on the simplest things.

"D-D-Dude you're as tall as me!" Joe exclaims

Junior stands fully upright next to Joe and uses his hand to measure the tops of their heads.

"Oh I am too" he laughs "I never though I'd see that day"

Silvia sighs Junior may look different but he's truly not changed one bit.

With everyone somehow finding a space to sit in the messy room, even if the "chair" is a pile of magazines, Junior sits back down by his desk and sighs.

"Right you both had a ton of questions, what was the first?"

"Scar" answers Joe

"Deafness" cries Silvia at the same time as Joe

Junior looks confused at them both, it's clear he didn't understand a word of that. He glances at Rachel who signs both words at him before pointing at the person who stated it.

"So this -" Junior traces the scar along his face with his finger "-that was Hulk. He threw his axe and it landed on my helmet...ruined a good helmet mind you" he scowls before continuing.

"Couldn't hear much in the right ear after Hulk, but Charles finished the job recently. I got too close to his screech...can't hear a thing without this -" he takes out the hearing aid in his left ear before setting it back in "- tell ya one thing, I get a great night's sleep now" he laughs.

Silvia looks Junior up and down while Joe takes in all the new changes in his best friend, it's going to take him a little bit to put it all together. She notices the coloured bracelets on Junior's arms.

"What's with all the bling? You've got more jewellery than me" jokes Silvia

"Oh these things?" Junior asks while shaking the bracelets on his arms. "Well this one-" he points to the grey one on his left arm, "-is hooked up to those town's security. Nothing gets past the alarms without tripping this"

"Except us" remarks Joe

"Well you two warped into town, not entering by normal methods" comments Rachel.

"I think we need to tweak the design to accommodate for that eh, Rach?" laughs Junior.

Holding up his right hand, Joe and Silvia can clearly see two bracelets - one yellow and one purple. Junior points to the purple bracelet

"This one, Alastor's. If he needs me he pings it. Although we've not heard from him in a long time. I dunno if this thing even works anymore, and then this", Junior continues pointing at the yellow bracelet, "-that's Rachel's, she makes me wear it-"

"For your own safety!"

"Sure Mom"

"How else am I going to alert you when you're not wearing your hearing aid?" she protests

"She's got a fair point there, even I was able to sneak up on you-" comments Joe

"-and we all know how loud Joe can be" finishes Silvia

"See they agree with me!"

Junior rolls his eyes, "you know I'm a grown man and not some little kid anymore, right?"

Rachel signs something to Junior, it's clear she doesn't want Joe and Silvia to know whatever it is she's saying. Junior pouts, sticks his tongue out at her and signs something else back to her. Rachel glares at Junior and return signs words back at him. Silvia and Joe watch this tennis match of sign language before Joe breaks the silence.

"Ahem...we're still here you know"

"Well, she started it" complaints Junior

"You didn't have to stoop so low" defends Rachel

"That has to be the quietest argument I've ever seen" remarks Silvia

The bracelet on Junior's left arm vibrates and blinks red, he stares at it and then at Rachel who nods.

"They're here..." he mutters, "Joe, Silvia..." Junior's tone is commanding now, "...it's not safe here for you two..."

"Whatta mean?" questions Joe as Junior rushes up

"It's not safe here" Junior repeats as he grabs a set of faded, battered and slightly ripped blue body armour which was hung up on the wall.

He wraps the armour around his chest, pulling tightly on the loose belts, before grabbing long leather gloves with thick bracers, followed by a pair of long metal claws and slips them over his leather gloves.

"This world is far more dangerous since you were last here, you both need to stay put" Junior commands.

"No way, we're a team" chirps Joe, "there's nothing we can't achieve together!"

"Ah the ever optimistic Joe..." sighs Junior, "oh boy are you in for a shock..."


	2. Chapter 2

The young adult Junior races across the pre-dawn Blue Town scoring the dusty vacant city for the intruder from his alert. Joe and Silvia chase behind him desperately trying to keep up.

Junior is far older since the last time Joe and Silvia saw him. He's almost the same size as Joe, mid 20s, got a sloppily kept goatee and a scar running across the side of his face leading into his right ear. He's also got a hearing aid wedged in his left ear. He's not bothered with his Henshin outfit anymore and has raced out with faded, battered and slightly ripped blue body armour with a pair of long metal claws weapons slipped over his leather gloves with thick bracers.

"Hey Junior slow down a bit! My sides are sore" pants Silvia

"You didn't even give us a chance to Henshin!" cries Joe

"Quit yo' whining and keep up" snaps Junior back at them.

Joe runs up and grabs Junior by the arm making sure to avoid grabbing the claws, "hey Dude chill a bit will ya? There's no need for that attitude".

They stop running for a moment, Silvia happy for the moment's rest.

Junior swats Joe's arm off his own, his claws narrowly missing Joe's face, "You've no idea what I've had to go without you around. Now, you either help me or stay with Rachel at the base"

The tension between the two boys is cut short by a robotic voice "Ah was wondering when ya'd decide you crawl outta ya hidey hole"

"Bianco Billy!" Junior growls as his eyes narrow

Joe and Silvia look up to see a Bianky tooting guns, boots and a cowboy hat. He menacingly plays with one of his guns.

"Well now, ah see's you've got some friends this time Squirt. Ah also brought a few" he laughs pointing his gun behind him where a small army of around 6 Biankies. The all twitch erratically while they await Billy's next order. Time hasn't been kind to any of the Biankies as the once snowy white and pure black striped metal is all shades of grey and each Bianky, including Billy, outwardly shows signs of disrepair, some even having exposed loose wiring.

"I should have know the Good Doctor would have sent the biggest Trash Heap around, and here I though I was actually in some sort of danger" Junior taunts.

"Big talk from a Little Kid" Billy sneers as he aims a gun at Junior.

Junior laughs as Billy clicks in the trigger.

"Get do-" yells Joe but Junior holds up his hand and just continues to laugh

"He's shooting blanks Joe, has been for years. That ammo isn't made anymore-" taunts Junior, "-he just not told his Boss, have ya Billy?"

Flustered Billy takes out his second gun "wanna play roulette Kid? I've still got it"

"Enough Billy, just get lost" Junior shrugs and dismisses Billy with a wave and turns away from him.

"Don't ignore me!" cries Billy, his intimidation clearly not working. He turns to his fellow Biankies and commands "rip this place apart. Ah could always do with more scrap"

Junior turns back and firmly states "Leave now Billy or you'll be the scrap"

"Make me" commands Billy

Junior rushes at him, his sharpened claws dig into Billy's robotic torso as Junior holds the other claw an inch in front of Billy's face.

"You leave AND you tell me where Cranken is. Otherwise Rach gets more spare parts"

"I'm not scared of you, Kid" sneers Billy

"You should be" commands Junior as he digs his claw deeper into the Biancy's torso. Billy's internal circuity zaps and the Biancy twitches even more erratically.

"Silvia, we should do something..." Joe whispers to Silvia

Silvia nods

"Once more Billy," Junior eyes narrow as he glares into the Biancy's large open eye, "where is that slime hiding?"

"I'd rather die" mocks Billy

"So be it"

Before Joe and Silvia can stop him, Junior slashes Billy's neck ripping through the metal frame. Junior flicks his arm with such force that Billy's body flies at the Biancy hoard. In lands in the centre of the Bianky group who stare at in disbelief. Billy's body twitches erratically as the Biancies figure out what to do about it.

Junior picks up the head and throws it at the hoard, where a stunned Biancy lackey grabs it and tosses it when it releases what it is.

"Let that be a message to your Boss, now anyone want a piece of me?" Junior boasts.

The Biancy hoard turn and look at each other, shake their heads collectively and back away slowly.

"GET OUT OF HERE" Junior roars

The Biancies turn tail and run for their robotic lives. The act of a hoard of Biancies running on the desert kicks up a large dust cloud which obscures them in the distance.

"Dude that...t-that wasn't right" comments Joe as Junior gathers parts from Billy's motionless body.

"I have to do what I have to do to survive" states Junior

"B-but they were just lowly Biankies!" pleads Silvia

"Silvia, I know you have a fondness for them, but these Biankies ain't making you dinner. I wouldn't expect you to understand-" Junior gathers the parts he wanted and stands up "-both of you wouldn't understand."

* * *

"It's been dealt with" Junior states as he drops a clump of oil stained microchips and machine parts on the table.

Rachel looks at them in disgust "I keep telling you I don't need them"

Her body isn't a shiny as it once was. Her armour plating is dented in places, her limbs have odd coloured metal repair patches and her body parts are not all the same colour.

"You will and I'll have to repair you...again"

"I told you to stop fixing me with your blotch jobs"

Junior glares at Rachel "Oh I do 'blotch jobs' now? Not like you're any better at patching me up! Hmm?" he challenges "Who had to learn some sort of wielding just to keep you functioning? Certainly wasn't ya Bae was it?"

"You leave him out of this" she states

"Or what Missy, you gonna set Mr. ZappyPants on me? That's assuming he ever bothers to come back!"

"Oh don't be like that"

"Like what?" Junior questions

"THAT!"

Junior glares at her narrowing his eyes "That's IT!" He removes his hearing aid and gold bracelet and slams them into the table.

"Don't you dare Young Man!" she commands but it clear he can't hear her. She steps in front of him and signs her words at him but he just closes his eyes as he side steps her and picks up his claws.

"Can't hear ya'...Darlin'!" he mocks, his pronunciation slightly warbled as he storms out of the room slamming the door.

"What happened?" Silvia asks, "Junior used to be such a nice boy"

"'Used to be' is the correct term" Rachel states clutching her arm while moving towards a photo of mounted on the wall.

In the photo Rachel, a more familiar younger Junior and Alastor are smiling and laughing during a party hosted by the residents of Blue Town. Everyone is having a good time, with a few of them drinking.

"...you know it's hard for him...he always wanted to be the hero, and then IT happened..." reaching out she touches the image of Junior on the wall, "...he wasn't ready", she continues solemnly, "- we weren't ready".

Silvia reaches out and touches Rachel's arm

"-No, I didn't, I couldn't..." Rachel mumbles, "I couldn't...save..."

She pauses clearly traumatised by the memory

"Rachel you don't have to-" Silvia interrupts.

Rachel shakes her head as she looks Silvia in the eye.

"No. Silvia, Joe, you deserve to know"

Rachel turns away from both Joe and Silvia.

"I should have made him purge it from my memory banks, but he refused, he wouldn't let me forget"

"Why should I have been the only one to suffer?"

Rachel, Silvia and Joe turn to see Junior is back with fancy looking Bianky tied up with rope draped over his shoulder. He carefully places it onto a spare chair.

This Bianky has a fancy moustache, and even fancier taste in clothes with a large cape, top hat with a large dollar sign on it and frilly shirt. Just like every other Bianky Joe and Silvia have seen, this one is also a bit worse for wear with it's clothing all a little bit ripped and it's body needing a few repairs. Junior must have knocked it out for it's eye lights have gone out.

"- and I thought I was the only one that was deaf, you three didn't even hear me come in with Jokester" Junior laughs as he fully sets back in his hearing aid.

"When did you...?" Rachel asks

"Just now"

Turning to Silvia he states blankly "they were poisoned Silvia, every single one of them. Cranken had baited me and Alastor out of town. While we were busy fighting, he had his damn Flaties to release a toxic gas in the town"

Junior slams his fist against the wall in frustration before continuing

"We should have seen them, we should have known it was a trap - gahhh" he punches the wall again, this time making the photo frames shake.

Rachel continues this time "I was the only one that could enter the town for two weeks. I tried to move people out of the area but I couldn't function effectively in the toxic air, all I could do is watch as..." she struggles with the words

"Pulling the dead bodies out of homes isn't something any hero signs up for-" Junior states his tone deathly serious.

"Junior, I-" Joe tries to comfort Junior but he's swatted away again.

"I'll have your head Blue" shreiks Jokester wriggling furiously to escape his bonds.

"Rachel forget the history lesson and deal with him" Junior sighs, "seems I didn't punch him hard enough this time. I must be loosing my touch"

Rachel walks up to Jokester and despite his resistance takes off his hat and places her hands on his temples, her fingertips disengaging into wires which extend into the tiniest gaps in Jokester's skull. She sends an electrically shock down her now buried fingertips as Jokester screams.

"Isn't that a little extreme?!" exclaims Joe

"Not really" retorts Junior, "for one thing he's just a Bianky, also it's the only way to safely hide his other personality program"

"His what?"

"This clown is our spy in Cranken's Lair Joe! It's the only reason I've not ripped him apart for Rachel's repairs yet" Junior laughs.

Jokester slumps forwards in his bonds as Rachel stands back from him, reaching for the nearest chair and resting. It's clear the action takes a lot out of her, if she could pant or perspire she would be doing it. Jokester's body makes whirling and clicking noises, as if everything is moving back into place. He raises his head back up as his eye blinks between off and green.

Junior smacks Jokester's head hard and his eye stays on green, "rarely works the first time" he comments as he undoes Jokester's bonds, "this was program I worked on with Alastor - Zap 'n' Hide he called it, very Alastor..."

Junior picks up Jokester's hat from the floor and dusts it off before handing it back to Jokester who takes it while taking in everything.

"Well I never" Jokester exclaims as he looks up at all the faces, "it's Stumblebutt Joe!"

Joe sighs as everyone else giggles

"Stumblebutt?" laughs Silvia

"You never told me that one Joe!" laughs Junior

"It's not funny" pouts Joe

"Good to see you again Stumblebutt!" exclaims Jokester as he reaches out to shake Joe's hand

"It's Viewtiful Joe now I'll have you know" Joe corrects

"Stumblebutt Joe it is!" laughs Jokester, who now turns to greet Silvia, "and is this must be Mrs. Joe, Great Blue's told me all about you" he takes her hand and kisses it.

"Oh I'm not Mrs. Joe" laughs Silvia as she awkwardly glances at Joe "...yet"

"Who's 'Great Blue'?" questions a rather flustered Joe rapidly changing the topic

"Me" replies Junior while pointing to himself, "I've been called that for a few years now. 'Junior' isn't exactly the name to send shivers down spines now is it?"

Junior turns back to Jokester and looks at him inquisitively, "what are you doing back here? I didn't trigger your beacon"

"That other one of you, that guy...er, you Fleshies look all the same to me..." Jokester struggles for the name

"Alastor?" Junior and Rachel cry at the same time

"Is that his name? Must be" thinks Jokester before continuing, "that one, hit me with an electric bolt. Knocked my mainframe well outta whack, I'll tell ya. Anyway he musta triggered something, cos next thing I know I'm on my way to here but...I just can't remember anything"

"Sounds like Alastor hasn't changed one bit, still itching for a fight" remarks Joe

Junior hunts around for something while muttering "Yeah that's Al, zap first, talk never...ah found it!" he exclaims as he pulls a small handheld black laptop with long dangling cables out from a pile of clutter. He brings it over to Jokester, plugs in the cables into Jokester's chin, clears some junk off the nearby table and places the laptop down. As the laptop turns on Jokester's eye turns into lines of green and black as if something is loading.

"What's that for?" asks Silvia

"Unless I want to overload Rachel-"

"Which I really don't appreciate..." mutters Rachel

"-I can access Jokester's brain directly from here...and the access point..." Junior feverishly types away and mumbles to himself while ignoring everyone else.

"Translation please" pouts a very bored Joe who clearly has no idea what's going on

"He's going to manually find what he wants in Jokester's brain-" states Rachel as she tries to peek into the screen of the tiny laptop Junior continues to work away on, "-that's going to take a while isn't it?" she asks

"Hmmm?" responds Junior not even bothering to look away from the screen while he mutters computer code to himself.

"Joe, Silvia, you must be...hungry..?" Rachel asks awkwardly

"Oh yeah!" pipes up Joe, "I've not eaten a cheeseburger all day, I though I was gonna waste away!"

"Well HE's not going to be of any use for a while-"

"I heard that" yells Junior

"-so I'd better be a GOOD HOST and get you two something" smirks Rachel


End file.
